EALDOR: series one
by ANNAFLORINDA
Summary: "We all know the story of Merlin Morgan, the powerful warlock, who ended up marrying one of the best yournalists ever, Freya Donnelly. But what about before that, before he went to Camelot, when he was a teenager? Merlin/Morgana, Morgana/Leon, Merlin/Gwen
1. Introduction to Merlin Morgan

"Ealdor".

Introduction: Who was Merlin Morgan?

For centuries, there have been stories about a very powerful sorcerer, named Merlin Morgan. These are the parts on which most people agree:

Merlin was born in a "reservation" part of the capital city Camelot, to Balinor and Isolde Ambroise, who had been powerful before being captured

His name at birth was Emrys Kilgrah Ambroise

Between the ages of 1-4, his father, without consulting his wife, no longer wanted a child, so he sent him away. He and Isolde were later killed, along with everyone else in the camp

Meanwhile, in an English village, Merlin was found by a couple who could not have children: Gauis and Hunith Morgan, who raised him, knowing of his true origins

As Merlin grew up, it became clear that he could move objects without touching them: he had magic

After university and having a daughter with his ex-girlfriend, Merlin moved to Camelot, where he "became who he needed to be". He took his daughter, Isolde, with him

There, he allowed himself to use his magic for good and, in order to protect his identity, he created a name for his alter-ego 'Emrys' and he wore glasses when he was working as a journalist

In Camelot, his arch enemy was a man named Mordred Luthor

Merlin's weakness (which could kill him) was a rock, near which he was born

As a journalist, he befriended: Arthur Pendragon, Guinevere Thompson, Lancelot and Freya Donnelly and supported Arthur and Gwen's relationship

His friend, Freya Donnelly, fell in love with Emrys (Merlin's alter-ego), but didn't look at Merlin in that way

Eventually, Merlin and Freya married. She adopted his daughter and they ended up having children of their own

Let's have a look at Merlin before he was Emrys…when he was in Ealdor…


	2. Prolouge

Prologue.

"Son, come on!" Agravaine Luthor barked at his 9-year-old son, Mordred. "We've come to Ealdor to experience the culture and to have some bonding time."

Mordred nodded, but made no reply; at such a young age, he knew that his father did not genuinely want to spend time with him. To ask for that, would be a miracle.

Hunith and Gaius Morgan pulled up in front of Gwaine's flower shop; the pair of them lived outside of the town, on a farm, which had been Gaius's father's, his grandfather, his great-grandfather's and his great, great-grandfather's. Gaius found it unbearably sad that, after being in his family for five generations the farm would end; he and Hunith could not conceive a child; Hunith was in her early 20s and Gaius was in his mid-40s. The 20-year age gap didn't bother them, but Gaius thought that it was morbidly ironic that it was his wife who could not conceive a child. They had tried many times, but nothing had worked.

Ealdor was a village in the south of England. Hunith had grown up in Camelot, which was the capital city, but she had moved to Ealdor when she had married Gaius, which had been a couple of years ago.

In Gwaine's shop, Hunith spotted his niece, Morgana, and went over to her. The four-year-old playing with her toys fairies, whilst being watched by her uncle; her parents, Vivienne and Gorlois LeFay, were watching a football match, which was taking place just outside the village.

Just as Hunith and Gaius were about to leave the shop, Morgana jumped up from her stool and asked, "Mrs. Morgan. Can I grant you a wish? With my wand?"

Smiling, Hunith kneeled down so that her face was level with the girl's and Morgana waved her wand, as Hunith closed her eyes and made a wish.

Once they were in the car, her husband, in an understanding voice remarked, "I know what you wished for, sweetheart."

When Hunith made no reply, he continued, "I see the way you look at Morgana-and other children and babies- and it hurts me to. But if God didn't want us to have a child, then he didn't. We have to face it."

Turning to him, Hunith replied, "I don't believe that, Gaius." She paused, then whispered, "All I've ever wanted was a child. I didn't care if it was a boy or girl. I just wanted one."

About 10 minutes later, all of the lights in the village went out. People knew that magic was being used and it was not in a good way.

Rocks fell from the sky onto the village and onto the football stadium outside the village. The rocks dealt a fatal blow to Vivienne and Gorlois LeFay.

Out in a field, Mordred heard the whooshing and saw something from the sky falling towards him. He was suddenly thrown onto the ground, unconscious and with no hair.

On their way back to their farm, Hunith and Gaius felt a heard the magic and Hunith was forced to stop the car and swerve over into a field, because the force of the magic was too powerful to fight against.

A flash of light beamed in front of the car and they shielded their eyes to that they were not blinded.

When Hunith and Gaius opened their eyes, there was something in front of their car, where the beam of light had been; it was a tiny boy, who looked about 3 or 4 years old.

Hunith and Gauis slipped out of the car and Balinor retrieved a blanket, from the back of their truck, whilst Hunith studied the child. He looked unharmed physically. He had pale skin, blue eyes and dark hair.

Wrapping him in a blanket, Hunith made sure that he was alright before picking him up and holding him close to her chest, into which he snuggled.

"We can't keep him." Gauis stated, in a very matter-of-fact way, then they noticed something which had been next to the boy on the ground: a book.

Gauis picked it up and opened it. The book contained spells and enchantments. He closed it. "We don't know where this kids from or where his parents are."

Staring at the tiny boy in her arms, then at the book, Hunith replied, "Wherever or whoever they are, they left him here and we can't leave him here, Gauis."

In their minds one thing was certain: it was no accident that this boy had been left with a book of enchantments on the same day that the village had suffered an attack from some kind of magic.


	3. Chapter 1: 10 years later-part 1

10 YEARS LATER…

10 years later: part one. ...

The Morgan family farm was one of the best in the county for producing: eggs, milk and beef. Hunith and Gauis Morgan were well-respected in Ealdor, as they were very kind and well-mannered people. They had an adopted son, whom they had named Merlin. Merlin was now fourteen-years-old and he spent most of his free time helping out his dad on the farm.

For a 14-year-old, Merlin was rather tall; he was skinny, with blue eyes and dark hair.

Ever since he could remember, he had been able to move objects without touching them; he could simply look at something and it would move. He never knew why he could do the things he could do and it always confused or worried him.

"Merlin Morgan. You're going to be late for the bus!" Hunith shouted up the stairs, as she placed breakfast for herself and her son on the kitchen table and waited for him to come down.

Upstairs, Merlin was checking his list to see that he had everything he needed; today was the start of Year Ten, the start of the dreaded GCSE years- and he wanted to be as prepared as possible.

In the kitchen, when he thought his mum wasn't looking, he opened the fringe (with his magic) and drunk some milk out of the bottle.

"Merlin!" snapped Hunith as she walked back into the kitchen. She was not angry with him for using his magic-but for drinking the milk out of the bottle. Rolling her eyes, she asked, "Where did you learn your manners?"

Merlin sat down, smiling, and replied, "On a farm." He chuckled and Hunith rolled her eyes.

Gauis came in after milking the cows and sat with them. He had already had his breakfast.

"Are you looking forward to school?" he asked.

Merlin looked at his dad and asked, "How can I enjoy school?" he smiled, then remarked, "The football season will be starting this year and they're-they're having try-outs." At the beginning of every academic year, he had brought this up with his dad and every year, he had said 'no.'

When Gauis made no reply, Merlin fought to secure his position. "Dad, you played football at secondary school and so many people do. Will does, so why should I be any different?"

Exchanging a look with Hunith, Gauis replied, "You know why."

"Dad, I can"-

"Son, I know you can control your powers, but what is something goes wrong and you ended up hurting someone or yourself?" Gauis regretted the harsh tone, but sometimes he thought that his son didn't understand that anything could happen in a football game to affect one's judgement. The look in Merlin's eyes killed him, so he leaned across to him and reassured, in a gentler voice, "Merlin, I know this is hard, but it will get better. I just don't want you to hurt anyone with…the things you can do. It will just take time."

Nodding, Merlin muttered, "Yes, but by that time I'll have finished secondary school." He grabbed his jacket, rucksack and left the house. He wasn't angry with his mum and dad, but he was angry that he couldn't do what he wanted to do because of something which he didn't understand.

Ealdor Secondary School was in the main part of the village, which meant that the school was a very small one and many of the teachers and students knew one another.

Gwen Thompson and Will Russ were Merlin's best friends and they had been for years now. Gwen's full name was 'Guinevere', but it was only her dad, Tom, who called her that. Will and his family lived on a farm, very near to the Morgan's farm. Gwen had dark, curly hair, with dark skin and brown eyes. Will, on the other hand, had dark hair (not as dark as Merlin's) with brown eyes.

As Gwen and Will walked through the gates, Will asked, "Has anyone asked you to the dance?"

"The dance which is at the end of the school year and this is the first day?" asked Gwen, jokingly. "No, no-one has, but I didn't expect them to."

Biting his lip, Will asked, "So, do you think you'll get anywhere with You-Know-Who this year?"

They stopped walking and Gwen blushed. Since they had been eleven-years-old, she had had feelings for Merlin. Her friendship with Merlin was very strong and she didn't want to ruin it by telling him of her feelings for him. Besides, Merlin fancied someone else and Gwen knew that, compared to the girl whom Merlin fancied, she did not stand a chance. "I don't fancy Merlin, Will! Can we drop it?"

Will nodded, then added, "I was actually talking about the dance in a few days. How about-how about you and I go together, as friends?" he added the latter part of the sentence quickly and hoped that Gwen wouldn't notice.

She smiled. "OK, I'd like that."

"Hey guys." Merlin walked over to them and they sat on a bench together, as he ordered his books.

Ensuring that her blush was hidden, Gwen asked, "Merlin, are you going to write for 'The Torch' this year? Will is."

The Torch was the school's newspaper and Gwen had been editor for the past two years-since they had been in Year 8. Merlin and Will had always tried to avoid writing for the newspaper, because of the school hierarchy, but they knew that, if they did not, Gwen would nag them until they did.

Standing up, Will turned to his best friend and said, "We need to go and hand in permission slips before Form Time."

Merlin hesitated, then replied, "My dad needs me on the farm, so he didn't sign it." This was not a total lie, as Gauis did need him on the farm, but that wasn't why he had refused to sign the permission slip.

Will rolled his eyes; he knew that Merlin was needed on the farm, but Merlin had always used it as an excuse and it bothered him that Merlin didn't trust him. "Well, I'm gonna hand mine in so..." he stopped when he saw that Merlin was not listening; he was watching someone else.

"I'll see you later." Murmured Merlin, as he stood up and walked over the end of the gates, where Morgana LeFay was standing. She had pale skin, dark, curly hair and was classically beautiful. Merlin had fancied her since he had been 7-years-old, but she had never really noticed him.

Around Morgana's neck, was a necklace. Merlin didn't know why, but whenever he was around that necklace, he felt weak and ill and now was no exception: all of his books fell out of his rucksack, which had been opened, right in front of Morgana.

From afar, Gwen and Will watched this scene, and Gwen wanted to go and help, until she saw that Morgana was helping Merlin and she didn't want to watch Merlin drooling over Morgana, so she picked up her rucksack, went inside and Will followed her.

Merlin's copy of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' was on the floor and he was about to grab it, but then Morgana kneeled down in front of him and passed it to him. As their hands touched, despite feeling as if he was about to throw up, a tingly feeling rushed through his body and he forced a smile.

As he sat on the bench, rearranging his books, Morgana sat down next to him, her black hair cascading down her front.

"I didn't know you were into books like that." She smiled, referring to the book. "My uncle read it to me a couple of weeks ago. It was amazing, I think. What do you think?" Her uncle had a Southern Irish accent, which she also had.

Closing his rucksack, Merlin replied, "I like it. I haven't finished it yet." He smiled again, then added, "It shows that justice can't always be upheld."

"I agree." Morgana nodded, watching him closely. "Are you OK?"

Before Merlin could reply, a tall boy, with blonde curly hair, wearing a football jacket over his school uniform, walked over to them and he and Morgana kissed. Now, Merlin thought he was definitely going to be sick.

Leon Knight, Morgana's boyfriend, turned and smiled. "Hey, Merlin." Then he turned back to his girlfriend, he asked, "Can you help me with my English Lit essay on the imagery of Atticus? I've done it, but, can you check it?"

Chuckling slightly, Morgana nodded and replied, "Of course I will, Leon. We'll do it in the library after school." They kissed again and Merlin wished that he could slip away without being noticed; he was mortified and now he was having to watch Morgana and Leon kiss- not that they knew that that would bother him, but it did.

Morgana and Leon walked away and Merlin stayed sitting where he was, mortified by the fact that he was always sick around Morgana when she wore that necklace.

As Mordred Luthor pulled into the LuthorCorp plant in Ealdor, he let out a great sigh of frustration; at the age of 19, he did not like that fact that his father had banished to Ealdor, of all places; a small, farming village, when he was accustomed to the city of Camelot.

Rolling his eyes, he crossed the car park to the plant and hoped that this would be the start of a new beginning and he hoped that he would not be judged because he was bald, as he had been ever since "the shower" ten years ago.

At lunchtime, instead of eating lunch in the canteen with Gwen, Merlin took his lunch and books and sat in the stands, watching the football practice. He was also watching Morgana, who was a cheerleader and she was practicing. Watching his pears playing football made him feel sad that he could not be with; he knew that Will would be getting ready to have a try-out and he wished he could be with him.

After school was over, Merlin decided to walk home the long way instead of walking with Gwen and Will. It wasn't that he didn't want to walk with them-it was that he just wanted to be on his own before he went home and did his homework.

Seeing Morgana with Leon had made him realise that, despite, his fantasies, reminded him that he could never be with Morgana; he was no good for her and he knew that he was nothing compared to Leon, who was captain of the football team.

As he stood by the bridge which overlooked the famous lake, he heard blaring music and thought that it was probably a jerk that had more money than sense and was driving around like an idiot.

Turning around, Merlin suddenly registered that the car was…coming towards him and the edge of the bridge.

Without knowing how he was doing it, the car started to move in slow motion and, as he started at the edge of the bridge, the bars of the bridge fell into the water. Unable to stop the car completely, the car and its occupant fell into the lake at a very slow, slow speed.

Taking off his rucksack, Merlin found the lake's nearest mouth and dived in after the car.

The man, who was trapped inside the car, had pale skin and green eyes. He reminded Merlin of Morgana.

The door of the car flew up out of the water and Merlin pulled out the young man and dragged him onto the grass near the lake.

The young man jolted and coughed, but he was alive. His green eyes searched Merlin's blue ones and Merlin knew that he recognised him, but he didn't know how.

"I could've sworn my car hit you." gulped the man, breathlessly.

Shaking his head, Merlin muttered, "If you had, I'd be-I'd be dead."

He looked over at the bridge and wondered: how was he alive, how he managed to slow down the car and make sure that it's descent into the water hadn't been fatal? How did he do it?

After recovering from the shock, Merlin went back up to the bridge to retrieve his mobile phone and he called his dad, to tell him where he was, then he called an ambulance, just in case the man whom he had saved had been hurt.

He offered his mobile phone to the young man, but he said he had no-one to call.

Gauis came as soon as he could, along with the ambulance service. He ran straight over to his son, who was sitting quietly next to the young man, looking shaky. After examining him, Gauis asked, "Are you hurt?"

With a haunted look in his eyes, Merlin shook his head and answered, "No, Dad, I'm fine."

"Who was driving that car? Are they mad?" demanded Gauis, very angry that his son's life had been put in danger.

"That would be me," Gauis turned around to see the man standing behind him. "My name's Mordred Luthor. It's a pleasure to meet you."

What Merlin noticed instantly was how his dad looked Mordred up and down and then how he ignored his head which was being offered to him. "I'm Gauis Morgan," he said in a cold voice, "and this is my son, Merlin Morgan."

Smiling, Mordred nodded. "You have an amazing son, Mr. Morgan. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Gauis looked very annoyed, as he snapped, "Yes: drive slower."

Merlin frowned; he had never heard his dad use that tone of voice with people before and it confused him. Why was Gauis being so abrupt and, frankly, rude to this man?

Later that night, after homework and dinner, Merlin was sitting in the loft which his dad had made for him a couple of years ago. It allowed him to have some privacy from his parents, but it also allowed him to watch Morgana; she and her Uncle Gwaine had lived opposite the Morgans ever since Merlin had been adopted. He never watched her when she was inside the house, but when she was on the porch, he couldn't help but not watch her and wish that he could wrap his arms around her, like Leon did.

On her porch, Morgana sat on a chair, wrapping a shawl around her and stared up at the stars. She smiled to herself; it comforted her to think that her parents were looking down on her, as her uncle always told her.

Arms wrapped themselves around her and she smiled;

Leon sat down next to her and kissed her.

"Leon, my uncle will be back soon." Morgana whispered, not really wanting to be caught by her uncle with her boyfriend.

Chuckling, Leon shook his head and replied, "I'll take my chances with Gwaine." His voice turned serious. "A scout's coming to the game on Saturday-if I impress him, I could get a scholarship."

Morgana reached out for her necklace, took it off and placed it in her boyfriend's hand. "I want you to have this," she whispered, "for the game and you can give it back after you win. So much bad luck came from it, there can only be good luck."

Leon kissed her gently on the check, then asked, "Have you heard that Merlin saved Mordred Luthor today?"

"I didn't know that." There was silence for a while, then, out of the blue, Morgana whispered, "Sometimes people can surprise you." She had always liked Merlin, as he was gentle and kind, but he was quite reclusive and for that reason, she had never been able to get to know him.

In one of the garages in Ealdor, one of the mechanics was working late, so that he could make up for the time he had missed because he had been spending time with his friends.

Suddenly, all of the lights went out and the man felt an eerie presence and it made him feel very uneasy and sick. Within the shadows, he was certain that he saw someone watching him; someone whom he had known ten years ago, but had never really given that boy a second thought.

Until now.

After school the next day, when Merlin arrived home, he noticed that there was a bright red car in the middle of the drive.

Hunith walked over to him, with her hands covered in straw.

"Where the car from?" inquired her son, as he dropped his rucksack onto the front porch.

Laughing at his sloppiness, she replied, "It's a present."

"From whom?"

"Mordred Luthor." Sighed, Hunith added, "Your dad has the keys."

That made Merlin stop dead; he had known that his dad had not liked Mordred from their brief encounter after Merlin had saved him, but he hadn't asked Gauis why he did not like the young man.

As soon as he entered the farm, his dad turned to him and said, "Merlin, I know you want to keep it, but you can't. You can't even drive yet."

Placing his rucksack down on a bale of hay, Merlin sought to defend his position, but in a very careful way so that Gauis didn't blow up. "Dad, I saved his life. If this is how he wants to repay me, then he can."

Gauis shook his head and turned to face the 14-year-old, fixing him with a harsh stare. "The Luthors-they-they don't have a good reputation around Ealdor. They-Agravaine Luthor-has a habit of sending people presents and then evicting them."

"That's doesn't mean Mordred's the same; you should never judge people because of their parents."

There was a long silence, then Gauis muttered, "Merlin, I know you're upset and angry and I understand. It's normal."

"Normal?" repeated Merlin, fury building up inside of him. He ran over to the compost harvester, turned it on and threw his hand it, but before the blades could touch him, with the same force which had frozen Mordred's car, the blades stopped dead.

Merlin pulled his hand out, looked at the switch and the harvester stopped. Then he looked back at his dad, who was watching what he had just done, with fascination on his face. "Dad, Mordred's car didn't hit me. Somehow, I froze it and made sure that the impact didn't kill him. I don't incant a spell in my mind. It just happens."

With that, he walked past Gauis and went up to his bedroom, where he sat on his bed, thinking. Why was he able to do the things he could do without consciously doing anything? It made no sense.

Ten minutes later there was a knock on his door and Gauis came in, carrying something in a cloth.

Without saying anything, he sat down and opened the cloth. It revealed a piece of metal with writing on. He handed it to Merlin, then said, in a genital, yet tight voice, "It's from your parents-your birth parents."

After trying to read it, Merlin finally asked. "What does it say?" The writing looked like Old to Middle English and it made no sense. He kept looking it, wondering what, if anything, it had to do with him.

Sighing, Gauis answered, "Your mother and I have tried to decipher it, but it isn't known to any humans known…not to have powers." He paused, then continued, "Your real parents weren't exactly what people would call normal; from the book, it looks as if they could do things with the things in the book." He watched his son, wondering if his explanation would be enough for him to understand. He hoped that it was.

"What are you trying to tell me, Dad? That my parents were sorcerers?"

From the look his Gaius's eyes, he knew that his instincts had been right; his birth parents had been sorcerers, which was why he could do what he did instinctively.

Remaining silent, Gauis reached into the cloth and pulled out a book; the book which he and Hunith had found next to Merlin ten years ago.

Merlin looked through it, his mind racing. It was a book of spells and enchantments. He was a sorcerer, his parents had been and Gauis and Hunith had kept it from him for ten years. Whenever he had been having doubts, they had known and they had known why he could do the things he did. Why had they lied to him?

When Merlin asked Gauis the same question, the older man replied that they had done it to protect him.

Fury filled him and before he knew what he was doing, the light in his bedroom was out and he was running out of the house to the one place he knew he would be able to be alone: the Ealdor Graveyard.

Where were his biological parents? Had they died or had they not wanted him?

Despite it being late and very dark, Morgana took her horse out to the graveyard, so that she would go to her parents' grave.

Upon seeing the shadow of someone, she stopped and demanded to know who it was.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you." Merlin stepped out of the shadows and Morgana could tell that he had been crying; he had a very haunted look in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" she asked, trying to show kindness to a boy whom she hardly knew. He had always shown kindness to her.

Not wanting to answer the question, Merlin asked. "What are you doing out here?"

As she demounted her horse, she carefully replied, "I've come to see my parents." She walked over to their grave and placed the flowers down. When she saw that Merlin was standing next to her, she continued, "Vivinne and Gorlois LeFay. They died when I was four-ten years ago, that's why I live with my uncle."

"I'm sorry." Merlin whispered, genunily feeling sorry for her and he now understood why she lived with her uncle. His eyes landed on the gravestone and he read it: 'In loving memory of Gorlois and Vivinne LeFay, loving parents; they shall be forever loved and missed.' Inhaling a deep breath, he asked, "Morgana, do you ever wonder if your life would be different if you were in a different situation?"

Morgana turned to face him and she regarded him for a while, before nodding. "Yes. I very often have a dream, when my parents pick me up from school and they're not dead and they take me back to my real life-in Camelot." She smiled to herself, before continuing. "There, in Camelot, I have a brother. For some reason, he's a half-brother and I never find out why. Well, anyway, his brother's name's Arthur and he and I are very close and we play with our parents….And, then I wake up and realise that I'm alone and I always will be. I don't have a brother and Mum and Dad are dead." There were no tears in her eyes, but Merlin could tell that what she had told him was deeply personal and he was amazed that she had been so open with him.

Looking intently at her, he remarked, "You're never alone. I'm sure-wherever your parents are-they'd tell you the same thing." He offered a comforting smile and she smiled back. He just hoped that his feelings for her weren't obvious, but she didn't seem to be uncomfortable. After a long silence, they both walked away from the grave and Morgana led her horse away.

As they approached Morgana's house, she asked, "Do you realise this is the longest conversation you and I have ever had, Merlin? It's pretty impressive."

Merlin smiled and they stopped walking. In order to break the awkward silence, he asked, "So, with whom are you going to the dance?"

"I'm going with Leon-he is my boyfriend, after all. What about you? Are you going with Guinevere Thompson?"

Laughing nervously, Merlin answered, "No-no. Gwen and I are just friends. I don't think I'm going."

Morgana stroked her horse and then walked closer to Merlin and whispered, "Well, if you go, I might save you a dance."

A smile instantly came across Merlin's face, but he tried to mask it. Morgana reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, before whispering goodnight and walking away to her house.

Joy filled Merlin as he walked back to his house: Morgana LeFay had kissed him on the check and they had had a conversation. He had never been happier.

Little did he know that Leon had been in his garden and he had heard and seen everything between Merlin and Morgana.

iu


End file.
